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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mark — a trace
  4. tear — from crying
  5. drill — a practice
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. degree — from a university
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. track — to keep track
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. drill — army training
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. track — a song
  16. pound — a weight
  17. track — a path
  18. tear — to rip
  19. drill — the tool
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mark — to pay attention

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com